Haggis: Can You Stomach It?

n the remote Scottish highlands walks a weirdly evolved creature, the wild haggis, whose legs are longer on one side of his body to help him navigate the steep hills of his homeland.

That’s not true, of course. One survey, though, found that a third of American visitors to Scotland believed that the wild haggis was a real creature.

Aye, ya bampot.

Haggis, a Scottish traditional dish, does not immediately make me think, “I want to eat some of that.” Sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs are combined with oatmeal and spices to make a savory pudding that is stuffed into a sheep’s stomach.

Does this offal sound awful?

I have always been curious to try haggis, and it was actually pretty good, with a rich savory flavor and a creamy texture. A few bites of it, though, were plenty to satisfy both my curiosity and my appetite.

Along with the haggis, I served some other Scottish delicacies: potato scones, black pudding, mushy peas, and a Scotch egg (a hard-boiled egg encased in sausage and baked).

The scones and mushy peas were delicious, the egg was pretty good, and I could have done without the black pudding. I ordered the food fully cooked from a Scottish market in New Jersey and just had to heat everything.

And what kind of bevvy should be served alongside our haggis feast? Scotch, of course. According to the men, the Scotch was great. I nursed mine along, not appreciating it.

All things Scotch

All in all, it was a fun night, and I enjoyed trying haggis for the first time. Slàinte mhath!